“Battle of the Bulge” (バルジ大作戦), Original Release Japanese Movie Poster 1966, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) O528
This is an original Japanese B2 poster printed in 1966 for the first Japanese theatrical release of Battle of the Bulge (バルジ大作戦), directed by Ken Annakin and distributed in Japan by Warner Bros. The film is a large‑scale American war epic dramatizing the German Ardennes offensive of December 1944, famous for its massive tank battles and all‑star cast.
Film background
Shot in Ultra Panavision 70 and released in Cinerama, the film offers a highly dramatized account of the Battle of the Bulge, condensing the month‑long campaign into a sweeping narrative of Allied intelligence officer Lt. Col. Kiley (Henry Fonda) trying to convince skeptical superiors that a German counter‑offensive is imminent. As Col. Hessler (Robert Shaw) leads a brigade of powerful “King Tiger” tanks through the Ardennes in a last‑ditch attempt to seize the port of Antwerp, the movie follows parallel storylines on both sides of the front, culminating in a climactic tank engagement staged as a battle of attrition over dwindling fuel.
Poster design
The Japanese B2 uses bold graphic contrasts to sell the film’s scale. Against a stark black upper field, the blazing red title 「バルジ大作戦」 stretches horizontally across the sheet, backed by smaller yellow Japanese text billing it as the “largest tank battle in history.” Below this sits a wide painted panorama: waves of tanks spearhead through a hellish orange battlefield choked with smoke and fire, the barrels of two massive guns thrusting toward the viewer. A long strip of black at the bottom frames a gallery of head‑shot portraits of the ensemble cast—Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson and others—each separated by thin white borders, underscoring the film’s “all‑star” status. The English logo BATTLE OF THE BULGE appears as a badge at the lower right, tying the international branding together.
This poster is in excellent condition (please refer to the imagery of the exact poster for sale).
It is over 59 years old.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
